I’m not anti-gun, so don’t assume otherwise

I’ve been wondering how to tell you this, so I’ll come straight to the point:

I’m not anti-gun.

In fact, I enjoy shooting at targets and really want to learn to turkey hunt. I want us to do nothing to limit the ability of law-abiding citizens to have guns for their own protection, to shoot targets or to hunt.

I’m opposed to using guns to shoot other people or to commit other crimes. I think we should be doing everything in our power to prevent people prone to killing others, though I confess I’m no expert in this area, from getting guns.

I suspect most people – even most who support Second Amendment freedoms – would agree with me, at least on the last point.

You see, I thought that my position on guns needed clarification since, well, I work in the media. I cannot begin to tell you the number of people who have called or emailed or otherwise communicated their anger at me for being anti-gun.

So let me repeat:

I’m not anti-gun. Please quit assuming that I am.

In fact, I promise if you entered my home illegally with the intent to do harm to my family, shooting is about the best outcome you can hope for.

I recognize there are problems with my position:

It’s too liberal for my conservative friends (and readers) and too conservative for my liberal friends (and readers). It is the unfortunate spot I often find myself and causes people to label me as wishy-washy instead of filled with common sense, as I like to think of it.

People tend not to see shades of gray on this issue – and on most other issues anymore.

Also, I suspect if we could figure a sure way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, potential criminals and people prone to using guns to hurt others, we would be doing that already.

But isn’t that the problem with America – and its sheer greatness and wonder?

We loathe allowing anyone, particularly authority figures, to step on our toes. What is easier for us, it seems, is allowing authority figures to step on other people’s toes for the supposed common good.

But that is an extraordinarily tight tightrope to walk, and we must remember that in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, era, we have already traded many of our freedoms for a perception of greater security.

I’m not unsympathetic to the whys and wherefores, but I’m simply not willing to ask good, law-abiding citizens to give up more of their freedoms until we can find a middle ground that we can all agree on.

I know it must be there somewhere, if we have the willpower to find it.

You can send comments by clicking on Bob Gabordi’s blog on Tallahassee.com, e-mailing him at bgabordi@tallahassee.com, sending a private message on Tallahassee.com and Twitter @bgabordi. You can also find links to his blogs on Facebook. He’s also on LinkedIn and Google+. His mailing address is Bob Gabordi, Executive Editor, Tallahassee Democrat, P.O. Box 990, Tallahassee, FL 32302. His telephone number is 850-599-2177.

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You can send comments by clicking on Bob Gabordi’s blog on Tallahassee.com or Move.Tallahassee.com, e-mailing him at bgabordi@tallahassee.com, sending a private message on Tallahassee.com and Twitter @bgabordi. You can also find links to his blogs on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. His mailing address is Bob Gabordi, Executive Editor, Tallahassee Democrat, P.O. Box 990, Tallahassee, FL 32302. His telephone number is 850-599-2177.